When you buy fancy cheese, it goes one of two places:
A) Your mouth, or B) the dark recesses of your fridge.
One of those places is a terrible choice. (Hint: it’s not your mouth.) But fear not, lover of cheese, one cheesemonger is out to fix everything you know about storing your favorite wedge. Her name is Jessica Sennett, and she’s invented the Cheese Grotto, a little wooden cheese cave for your home.
Here’s the thing about fine cheese: it’s a living, breathing fermented product. So, not only does any kind of tight wrapping promote bacteria, but also, the cheese absorbs flavors and chemicals from the plastic. It’s an age-old pitfall of buying quality cheese.
Traditionally, the easiest workaround has been parchment paper wrap and a zip-lock bag. But even that’s not a perfect solution. Sennett’s Cheese Grotto, on the other hand, is.
It’s a handsome box with wooden shelves with a clay brick and ventilated back panel for airflow. The cheese is stored unwrapped — the condition in which it should always be stored — and users soak the clay brick every two weeks to maintain the proper moisture. Think of it more like a humidor, except one that easily fits in your fridge and can double as a serving centerpiece when you’re hosting.
The Grotto takes about four weeks to arrive, and you can order one right here.
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